Rita Camphuijsen

The blogs at the exhibition "life course" I start with the 'oldest' painting in the series of exhibited works. It is the painting "Advent" that I painted in the run up to Christmas in 2006. Pastor, Florus Kruyne asked me if I wanted to design a card that the City could use to send a cherry greeting to the friends and members for the Christmas season. This question stimulated my mind and creativity and I thought about the concept of advent. As in the Wikipedia look read in the following definition: The name Advent comes from the Latin word adventus, which means coming. But over the years I have also got a feeling and an image at the advent time. I have learned that there are traditions in different religions, to have recurring cycles in the course of life. I have spent a lot of time in possible cycles thinking about it and reading about it. I also gladly read my children during the year from thick books, stories that matched various year parties. So this question came up to make a Christmas card as a nice challenge. I took pictures and came up with an idea. And so the following picture emerged:

 

But when the Christmas card was printed and sent, it only started well for me. The map was a collage to be able to use my idea immediately as requested. But I thought, actually I think it's such a nice idea to be busy with "light" and the meaning that I would like to paint it. The design was of course also inspired by the "building" the Geertekerk, and more specifically, 'the choir' where I always and with many who know the church, are fascinated by the incident light, which is a result of the old windows. creates a wonderful atmosphere. That light is alive, It moves, the shadows move. And metaphorically speaking, I came up with the idea of ​​'nurturing hands' who want to capture that precious commodity. Receive, include, store, and feel or scan. By going to start working on the painting in the advent time of 2006, I started a kind of painting meditation, in which I tried to (summarize) the various aspects of light in oil on canvas.

I became aware, and I see through this painting what light can do, how it works and how it can be seen. In the advent time, 'people' live in the autumn, where daylight is getting shorter and shorter. People must then ignite lightly. To be able to see. I see a cyclically recurring period in the psyche as well, but also return to religion. In life there are periods where it seems to become darker and darker. I as a human being, you as a human being, can consciously deal with that darkness. And you can receive the light, cherish it as it were. And with the painting, I focus on that happening, so that it is held in a different way. It is very personal how you or I experience that light yourself. Does it give hope? Does it give expectations? Does it give comfort? The painting shows the questions and possible answers. It is up to the viewer to reflect on it. In this respect, the painting also contains concepts, meanings that are depicted in the painting, and when you look closely you can see the imagery that we know from the language.

• Reflection - reflect • Transparent - transparency • The light of a star in comparison with the light of a flame • sunlight that shines through a window and reflects a lectern, which also lets it pass through again. • Light that reflects on old tiles, a shadow that falls. What do you see, the shadow or the light? • An old building, such as the choir in the Geertekerk, which is an arch in which light but also music can resound and echo. Thus, Advent is a phase in the life course of a person in which the light can be used, used and valued, in periods when it becomes cold and cold.

Light is coming. It will come back and the days will start to stretch again. But when it gets dark, warm your hands to the light source and absorb it.